Volkswacht Bodensee - News from Lake Constance, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Europe and the whole world

American cinema giant Gene Hackman was found dead Wednesday alongside his wife, following a rich career portraying everyman characters with an edge in films including "The French Connection."

Three "legends" of Irish rugby, record caps holder Cian Healy, last year's Six Nations title-winning skipper Peter O'Mahony and fellow Test centurion Conor Murray will retire from international rugby at the end of the Six Nations they announced on Thursday.

A Hong Kong court jailed a former pro-democracy lawmaker and six others on Thursday for rioting in relation to a mob attack in 2019, despite lawyers arguing that the men were victims not aggressors.

The Kremlin on Thursday ruled out giving back Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed as part of a future peace deal, setting out a major red line as Russian and US officials met in Istanbul for a new round of talks aimed at normalising relations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched negotiators to Cairo on Thursday after Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Mpox remains an international public health emergency, the World Health Organization said Thursday after deciding the epidemic still merits the highest level of alert, with cases rising and its geographic spread widening.

Brazil spearheaded a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock at UN nature talks in Rome on Thursday, as nations struggled against the clock to agree a deal over money to halt rapid global species loss.

Tesla founder Elon Musk's role in the Trump administration has risked isolating the firm's traditionally liberal customers in its home market but consumers in US trade rival China seemed largely indifferent on Thursday.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez warned on Thursday that he has the fire back in his belly ahead of MotoGP's season-opening race in Thailand.

An Audi factory in Brussels billed as the "cradle" of the German carmaker's electric drive is shutting down production for good on Friday, the latest sign of the woes afflicting Europe's auto industry.

Thailand deported dozens of Uyghurs to China on Thursday despite warnings from human rights groups that they would face persecution on their return, drawing swift condemnation from the United Nations.

A polio vaccination drive in Gaza reached more than 600,000 children, the head of the World Health Organization announced Thursday, saying a ceasefire allowed previously-missed children to receive a dose.

Pakistan's last Champions Trophy group match with Bangladesh on Thursday was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Rawalpindi because of rain, ensuring the host country's title defence ended with a wet whimper.

Pope Francis, battling pneumonia in both lungs, slept well and is resting, the Vatican said Thursday, after revealing the 88-year-old's condition was slightly improving.

Stock markets struggled Thursday after US President Donald Trump's latest tariffs salvo, this time against the European Union, while earnings from chip titan Nvidia failed to impress despite another record performance.

The United States has slashed its multi-year aid contracts by 92 percent, as it sought around $60 billion in savings in development and overseas humanitarian programs, the State Department said Wednesday.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Thursday joined Indian Premier League team Delhi Capitals as mentor for the upcoming edition of the lucrative T20 tournament.

Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was expected to make a "historic declaration" on Thursday on ending the decades long conflict between Kurdish groups and the Turkish state.

Oscar-winning US actor Gene Hackman and his long-time wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead inside their home in New Mexico, media outlets reported on Thursday.

The EU's top team arrived in India on an "unprecedented" visit Thursday, aiming to broaden commercial and diplomatic ties and hedge against souring relations with the United States.

Central Asian countries are setting rivalries aside to build a giant hydroelectric plant originally planned in Soviet times, a bid to strengthen energy and food security and mitigate the effects of climate change.

In a city famed for graffiti and murals, rival exhibitions in Belgrade showcasing the impact of British street artist Banksy have led to a colourful debate over the commercialisation of street art.

On a patch of city land beside the sea, urban Emiratis sit beneath the shimmering skyscrapers of wealthy Dubai, revamping a camping tradition rooted in the desert.

Hamas called on Israel Thursday to enter negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire after the group handed over the bodies of four hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Gene Hackman, who has been found dead in his home in New Mexico at the age of 95, was once voted as likely to flop in showbiz but instead went on to enjoy a storied, Oscar-winning career as an everyman actor who mined personal pain to give intense, edgy performances.

South Korea's Kim A-lim defied windy conditions at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore to lead the HSBC Women's World Championship by one stroke from England's Charley Hull after Thursday's opening round.

Nations prepared for a showdown on funding on the last day of UN nature talks in Rome Thursday, amid alarm over slow progress in the face of accelerating species loss.

Two men were publicly flogged in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province on Thursday after they were found guilty of sexual relations by a court operating under strict Islamic law.

Pope Francis, battling pneumonia in both lungs, slept well and is resting, the Vatican said Thursday, after revealing the 88-year-old's condition was slightly improving.

Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, shortly after saying Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over coffins believed to contain the bodies of four hostages.

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi on Thursday targeted another big scalp in the form of Australia after knocking England out of the Champions Trophy, with a semi-final spot the prize.

Japan won the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday, Yuka Momiki and Toko Koga scoring in the 2-1 victory that ended the Americans' bid for a sixth straight title in the round-robin tournament.